The Days After
by xSummonerYunax
Summary: The world is at peace, but Dart must find his own peace of mind as he says good-bye to a special friend.


The Days After

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The door creaked as Dart walked into the silent and empty room. He felt like he was invading on a particular someone's privacy, and wondered if he would be invited in under normal circumstances. However, it was no longer up to the owner of the room to make that decision, not now and not ever. A bright beam of sunlight poured through the windowpanes, highlighting several contents on the desk before it. A gentle breeze blew into the room through the windows that were left slightly ajar for fresh air, as if it was meant for a certain presence in the room even though he had long perished. A few old books were scattered on the desk. For a moment, Dart wondered if the objects could feel, would they feel neglected if their pages were never be turned again? A glass half filled with a familiar golden substance was rested next to the books, and Dart knew the owner of that drink would never be able to press his lips against the bitter taste of the town's finest alcohol again.

The image of the lonesome glass sitting beside abandoned books made his heart wrench, the familiar pain coming back to him tenfold.

He solemnly walked toward the desk and picked up the small glass in his hand, shaking the content just to make sure that the liquid still had life within itself after sitting placidly by the window for nearly a year. The content shook within the glass and he could smell the bitter scent of it as he exhaled deeply, remembering the time when he had joked with his friend about having a taste of Bale's finest drink after the war was over.

The problem was that the war IS over, but he would be drinking by himself.

"Lavitz…" Dart whispered to the drink in his hand, wishing that his old friend and comrade would appear before him, mirroring his actions with a glass of alcohol between his own fingers.

Lavitz never appeared, and Dart had not expect him to. He was only met by the sound of birds chirping lively outside the window as they chased each other in their own little game.

Dart smiled at the tranquil scene before him; it was a scene that he and his friends had helped made possible through their combined selfless efforts of shaping their own fates as well as the world's fate for the better.

"You have helped create this beautiful scene, Lavitz…" Dart said quietly as he placed the glass back down on the table and glanced outside. He could see a few townspeople walking around with their children happily laughing. Not a single soul in the town seemed to be upset, except for one lady watering withering flowers in a small garden.

Dart noticed that Lavitz's mother had aged drastically since he had last seen her when he arrived in Bale for the first time. He naturally assumed her grief and stress due to losing her son was the main reason why she looked considerably older. But, she still exuded a graceful and loving demeanor, something that Dart had missed terribly from his family. Dart had only briefly talked to her after Lavitz's death, and had found it extremely difficult to be in her presence whenever she would ask him for the specific details about her son's death repeatedly, as if she could not grasp the reality of Lavitz's death. It was painful for her to hear, and it was painful for him to tell. They both missed him terribly. The dragoon warrior continued watching the elderly woman, noticing the way she would sigh heavily as if she had remembered something dismal. She wiped her forehead with her sleeves and set her watering can down.

Dart was about to back away from the window when he thought she was going to look up. Instead, she turned to face the town in front of her with slumped shoulders. Dart couldn't see her facial expressions, but the way her body swayed lightly from side to side told him that she must be in a trance. "Poor woman," he observed.

"Please, look after her."

Dart's eyes widened as he instinctively placed a hand on the hilt of his sword. The voice sounded so familiar, but it couldn't possibly be who he thought it was. However, as soon as Dart turned around, he dropped his hand lifelessly to his side, completely forgetting about his weapon. He held his breath, his body frozen due to the sight before him. A strong green light filled the bright room, and in the midst of the green light was a white silhouette of Lavitz. He looked ethereal like a heavenly body with his old visible, but intangible body. "Dart…"

"La-Lavitz!" Dart swallowed a lump in his throat as he walked closer to the otherworldly figure. He continued to hold his breath as he advanced forward, unsure if the projection in front him was a trap, or just the result of his imagination running wild from the desperate need to see his old friend again. "Is it…really you?" His voice shook with his words, barely able to control the fervent emotions laced in his hopeful words.

The misty figure nodded once before giving Dart a strong smile as a sign to confirm his existence. "Yes, in spirit form only. I came to see you again for just one last time…"

"Lavitz, don't go…" Dart pleaded with hurt and confusion evident in his request that he knew couldn't be fulfilled.

"I can't. I came here to fulfill my promise to you…"

Dart watched his friend walk toward his desk and pick up his glass of golden brew. "I promised I would have a drink with you after the war is over."

Dart reached out his hand and had the strongest desire to just simply touch him to feel whatever little life he had left in him. "Lavitz…" His fingers went right past Lavitz's ghostly form before his hand curled into a tight first. He pounded his fist against the surface of the desk, causing the books to jump slightly. "No…this isn't fair."

Lavitz remained calm and took a sip of his drink before placing a gentle hand on his distressed friend's shoulder. The knight's hand materialized into tangible flesh briefly before it evaporated to its airy form again. He smiled encouragingly even though Dart had his back turned to him. "Do not grieve for me anymore, my friend. Just know that I will be happy as long as you are no longer saddened by my fated death."

"Fated…no one is fated," Dart countered. He could feel his body grow limp as his eyes brimmed with a light layer of tears, which glistened from the sunrays. "We…we've tried to fight it…"

"Yes, it was not too late for you to fight against fate for a better future. But, it is too late for me…" the knight answered simply.

"I…I wish we could have saved you and changed your fate. Forgive me…" His own words stung him hard, reminding him of his failure. He looked at Lavitz and searched for traces of anger from his facial expression, but found none. Instead, he was greeted with a calm and serene smile that made Dart feel slightly at ease even though he was still heavily burdened with his failure to save the knight.

"There is nothing to forgive, my friend. I should be thanking you for protecting King Albert." He set the glass back down at the table and backed away from his formal study area. The green light in the room grew fainter as it was being withdrawn into the white shell that made up his spirit. "Remember Dart, do not grieve for me. I'll be watching over you…you don't have to feel alone."

Dart turned around and raced up to the figure advancing away from him, his armor and weapon clanking loudly with each desperate footstep he took to prevent his friend from leaving. "La-lavitz, I-"

"It'll be okay, Dart…" Lavitz smiled reassuringly before bringing his hands above his head. A bright white light formed above his body before it lowered, enveloping his entire form. "Please look after my mother…oh, and say hi to Shana for me."

Dart watched in awe as the blinding white light consumed the knight in one sweeping burst. Even though the intense light hurt his eyes, Dart could not tear his riveted gaze away from Lavitz's departure. This was truly going to be the last time he would ever see him.

He heard the knight's last words reverberate through the room once the light disbanded. "Stay strong, Dart…"

"Lavitz…" Dart whispered quietly and collapsed on his knees. His hand moved on its own accord and grasped at the air before him, believing it was capable of touching the very meaning of nothing.

Another breeze swept through the windowsills, rustling the pages of the books on the desk that stood beside an empty glass.

His empty glass.

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A/N: I've always thought this scene in the epilogue was very touching because the camera zooms in on the glass of alcohol to emphasize the promise Lavitz and Dart made about drinking after the war. Sadly, this does not happen because…well, because Lavitz dies. Please let me know your opinion about this through a review. I will happily accept reviews, comments, constructive criticisms, etc. Thanks for reading, Legend of Dragoon fans!


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